3D Mammography in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow

A 3D mammogram, or digital breast tomosynthesis, is a mammogram taken in a short sweep. The machine moves in an arc over the pressed breast and takes many low-dose images. A computer then rebuilds them into very thin slices.

The radiologist scrolls through the slices, much as you would turn the pages of a book one at a time. Tissue that lies on top of other tissue can be looked at layer by layer, instead of as one stacked picture.

It is still a mammogram. It uses a low dose of radiation, needs the same compression and the same preparation, and is read beside your earlier mammograms. We do 3D mammography in Lucknow for screening and for a closer look at a finding, whenever your doctor advises it.

A 2D mammogram gives one flat picture for each view of the breast, so every layer of tissue is stacked on the others. Think of looking down at a closed book: you see the cover, not the pages.

That stacking is the weakness. Normal tissue can overlap and look like a lump, or a small change can sit hidden behind other tissue. Both can lead to a call-back for more pictures.

A 3D mammogram opens the book. Because each layer can be seen on its own, overlap matters less. It does not find every change, and it does not replace an ultrasound for a lump. No breast test is perfect, which is why a symptom is always checked, whatever the scan shows.

Dense breasts are one of the main reasons doctors consider 3D. Dense tissue looks white on a mammogram, and so do many changes, so separating the layers can help. Dense breast imaging explains what density means and what else may be added.

• Dense breasts: the radiologist may prefer layers to a single stacked picture.
• A call-back after a 2D mammogram: a closer look at one area, to see whether it is a real change or overlapping tissue.
• Follow-up of an earlier finding: the same area looked at again, in layers.
• Screening, when your doctor advises it: breast cancer screening can use either 2D or 3D.

Many women do not need 3D, and a 2D mammogram remains a sound test. 3D is not a reason to delay a mammogram, and it never takes the place of examining a lump. For a lump, a breast ultrasound is usually part of the plan.

The radiation dose is low. A 3D mammogram uses radiation, as a 2D one does, and the exact dose depends on how the pictures are taken. The doctor advising the test weighs that small dose against what the test can show. Tell the team if you are, or might be, pregnant.

Compression is what most women worry about. The breast is pressed between two plates for a few seconds while each picture is taken. This spreads the tissue so it can be seen, holds the breast still and allows a lower dose.

It can be uncomfortable, and for some women it hurts. Tell the team if it is too much and they will adjust. Breasts are often more tender in the days before a period, so many women prefer to book for the week after.

Both are mammograms read by a radiologist. This table shows where they differ.